Personally I find the idea of Elsa being romantically interested in humans to be a little weird. Elsa isn’t really a human; more of a god. Of course my idea that gods aren’t romantically interested in humans is very Christian of me. Non-Abrahamic religions have plenty of gods who finds humans sexy.
It’s pretty obvious that Merida plans to one day marry a man. Even without that scene the whole movie is about how Merida doesn’t like how their husband is being chosen. You’d think at some point it would come up that they don’t want a husband at all.
But you are missing a Disney princess who has no romance in their story whatsoever:
Elsa’s story is very much a “coming out” story, so I think there was a special resonance there. Moana’s story didn’t have a romantic element because the storyline had no space for one (the adventure taking place entirely on a boat and on uninhabited islands). And honestly I was pretty thrilled with that - the idea that a story doesn’t have to be about romance at all.
Let it go seems borderline “just a positive song” enough to slip under the radar for most folks but it totally feels like a Coming Out song to me. It really grew on me once I stopped hearing it everywhere.
I think it’s 100% a coming out song, the question is whether you think being a god with unfathomable magical powers is a metaphor for being gay. Apparently a lot of gay people do.
I was trying to search to see if Elena of Avalor’s friend Naomi is gay and ended up finding an article about how evil Disney is for putting gay characters in their shows. It seems that Doc McStuffins (a show about a young child) features a child with two moms. What’s more, those two moms are portrayed as being a normal family and the actors doing their voices are both lesbians themselves! (The horror)
My niece informed me that there is an official designation of “Disney Princess” and Moana is in. Though I guess in that definition Elsa and Anna are out (Frozen is too popular, they don’t sell a “Disney Princess” colouring book with Moana, Snow White, Mulan and Elsa; they sell a “Disney Princess” book with the first three and a separate “Frozen” one)
Princess Vanellope von Schweetz may also qualify. Sure, if she were capable of “growing up” and becoming an adult woman she may have developed romantic interests in someone eventually, but due to her code she’s presumably going to perpetually stay at an age where she finds the idea of kissing totally gross.
